What is the Bhagavad-Gita?
The Bhagavad-Gita is the eternal message of spiritual wisdom from ancient India. The word Gita means song and the word Bhagavad means God, often the Bhagavad-Gita is called the Song of God.
Why is the Bhagavad-Gita called a song if it is spoken?
Because its rhyming meter is so beautifully harmonic and melodious when spoken perfectly.
What is the name of this rhyming meter?
It is called Anustup and contains 32 syllables in each verse.
Who originally spoke the Bhagavad-Gita?
Lord Krishna originally spoke the Bhagavad-Gita.
Where was the Bhagavad-Gita originally spoken?
In India at the holy land of Kuruksetra.
Why is the land of Kuruksetra so holy?
Because of benedictions given to King Kuru by Brahma that anyone dying in Kuruksetra while performing penance or while fighting in battle will be promoted directly to the heavenly planets.
Where is the Bhagavad-Gita to be found?
In the monumental, historical epic Mahabharata written by Vedavyasa.
What is the historical epic Mahabharta?
The Mahabharata is the most voluminous book the world has ever known. The Mahabharata covers the history of the earth from the time of creation in relation to India. Composed in 100,000 rhyming quatrain couplets the Mahabharata is seven times the size of the Illiad written by Homer.
Who is Vedavyasa?
Vedavyasa is the divine saint and incarnation who authored the Srimad Bhagavatam, Vedanta Sutra, the 108 Puranas, composed and divided the Vedas into the Rik, Yajur, Artharva and Sama Vedas, and wrote the great historical treatise Mahabharata known as the fifth Veda. His full name is Krishna Dvaipayana Vyasa and he was the son of sage Parasara and mother Satyavati.